Richard A. Lambert

Richard A. Lambert is the Miller-Sherrerd Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches financial reporting courses in the MBA, WEMBA, and doctoral programs. His office is located at Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall on the Penn campus in Philadelphia. Previously, he taught at Northwestern University's Kellogg School and Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

Lambert received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1982, an MS in Statistics from Stanford in 1980, and a B.E.E. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1977. His academic journey reflects a strong quantitative foundation that informs his research approach.

Professor Lambert's research focuses on how information relates to the cost of capital in firms and how organizations use information for performance evaluation. His work spans theoretical and empirical investigations in financial and managerial accounting, with particular expertise in cost analysis, financial reporting, and incentive compensation plans. He has made significant contributions to understanding information asymmetry, corporate governance mechanisms, and the relationship between accounting information and capital markets.

An analysis of Lambert's publications reveals consistent focus on the intersection of accounting information and capital markets, with evolving emphasis from foundational cost of capital research to contemporary corporate governance issues. His work demonstrates methodological rigor across theoretical modeling and empirical analysis, with increasing attention to multidimensional governance structures in recent years.

• Multiple WEMBA Core Teaching Awards (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014)
• Joseph L. McDonald Professor of Accounting (1995-1999)
• Helen Kardon Moss Anvil Award for Teaching Excellence (1989)
• Business School Trust Faculty Fellow (1991-1992)
• Hay Group Faculty Research Fellow (1984-1985)

Professor Lambert has advised numerous doctoral students and has been actively involved in accounting doctoral consortia as both resident and visiting faculty. His research has been supported through various fellowships and term professorships throughout his career. He has made significant contributions to executive education programs and serves as a resource for media on accounting and finance topics.